It is believed by many that the card deck was our first calendar as there are many similarities between them. There are 52 cards in a deck and 52 weeks in a year. There are 4 suits and 4 seasons, there are 12 court cards and 12 months and there are 13 cards in a suit and 13 lunar cycles in a year. This book is divided into 2 sections, The Cards and a Daily Divination Guide. The Cards section contains birth card descriptions for each of the 53 cards (52 cards and the joker) as they relate to the 365 days of the year and our birthdays. For instance, if you were born on January 1st, then you are a King of Spades and a full explanation is given. The Daily Divination Guide is a year long reference that gives you practical information for each of the 365 days in the year. This book has illustrations of antique cards throughout and is a lovely book to own.

Excerpt:

The information on these pages is simply a glance into an exact and comprehensive body of ancient wisdom that was kept secret for many thousands of years. The mystic science of the cards, as I call it, is based on our regular deck of playing cards, astrology, and numerology. It appears that this deck of cards was originally an ancient book used for timekeeping and divination. Interestingly, the card deck aligns perfectly with our yearly calendar, so this theory is well supported, as you'll see later in this introduction.

Hearts

Hearts represent the springtime of life. They stand for art and beauty, feelings and emotions, youth and children, people and relationships, love and marriage. This is the element of fire tamed by compassion. Hearts symbolize home, family, and all things that touch us and cause us to feel. The awakened heart embodies love and compassion, understanding and kindness. The unconscious heart can become lost in lust, drama, anger, and self-absorption. People who have heart birthdays love to engage with others in their living and learning and do well with groups. Hearts relate to springtime and the emergence of new life. They are artistic, sensuous, and sensitive by nature, so give your heart friends gifts that are lovely to look at, are soft to the touch, or have a beautiful sound or a wonderful fragrance.

Clubs

Clubs rule the mental realm and all things having to do with communication, learning, teaching, research, critical thinking, and the processing of ideas. In the journey through life, clubs rule our time of education and mental development. The awakened club is a messenger of intelligence and information, creativity, and the assimilation of art, science, and spirituality. People with club birthdays like to gather information and share it with others in their own unique and individual ways. They use their intelligence to guide them, and thoughts are tangible and substantial things for them. When this energy is unconscious, clubs can waste time spinning their mental wheels to the point of psychological chaos and confusion. Clubs are associated with the element of air and represent summer, the time of growth, and our time of learning. Give your club friends a book or something they can learn from in some way, and support all of their artistic endeavors.

Diamonds

Diamonds symbolize autumn and the harvesting phase of life. They stand for spiritual and material values and are associated with the element of water, which represents abundance. Diamonds bring things into physical form through the manifestation of ideas. The enlightened diamond teaches by living higher values as an example, giving through their generosity, and empowering others to be abundant. The unconscious expression of this suit results in selfish, miserly behaviors that can lead to greed. Drawing on the emotional wisdom of the hearts and the mental development of the clubs, diamonds contribute through their actions and ability to make things happen. They embody an innate savvy for business and are also here to learn about money and values. Buy your diamond friends something that sparkles or has value in some way.

Spades

The final suit of the deck, spades synthesize the energies of the hearts, clubs, and diamonds in order to bring forth wisdom through all endeavors. They’re associated with winter and the time of turning within, preparing for rebirth. Corresponding to the element of earth, they stand strong like mountains. The enlightened spade holds the wisdom of the ages (even as babies) so the other suits can see their reflections. Being of the earth, spades can take hard work or struggle in stride. These are the old souls of the deck and they are hardworking, diligent, and mostly disciplined. Buy your spade friends something useful and practical.

Reprinted from Cards of Destiny: A Birthday Book and Daily Divination Guide by Sharon Jeffers